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Milk kefir grains are live active cultures consisting of yeast and bacteria existing in a symbiotic relationship. Adding the kefir grains to fresh milk yields a delicious probiotic drink in about 24 hours. Milk kefir can be enjoyed plain, flavored, or used in many recipes, like salad dressing, bread, and ice cream.

Milk Kefir Grains Instructions and Troubleshooting:

Ingredients: Organic powdered milk, organic milk, live active cultures. Packaged in a small amount of organic powdered milk to extend shelf life.

This product contains no GMO ingredients.

Shipping Information: Our milk kefir grains are shipped in a dehydrated state in a barrier-sealed packet. The product keeps

At room temperature (68° to 78°F): 12 to 18 months

In the refrigerator (40° to 45°F): 18+ months

In the freezer (0° to 25°F): not recommended

Milk Kefir Grains Allergen Information:

Our Milk Kefir Grains are a gluten-free product. Manufactured in a facility that produces products made with soy and dairy.

Why I Love This Product:

Milk kefir is my favorite fermented food! It is so easy to make. Every 2 days or so I spend 5 minutes straining and pouring the milk on top of my grains. My kids love it (especially mixed with a little honey). Because the milk kefir grains are reusable, they are an easy inexpensive way to make kefir forever! This is a perfect starter culture for anyone just starting out making their own fermented foods, or for families with only a little time on their hands! Want to know more about culturing milk kefir? Here are some of our blog posts about milk kefir! Erin, Social Media Coordinator

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Questions on Milk Kefir Grains

I have been using a dried kefir powder and the results have been poor. I am interested in using your product. I am eating raw at this time and would like to know the best product to use for a raw almond or coconut kefir. If I am doing dairy free I am asuming that the milk kefir would not produce as well in raw almond or raw coconut milk. I hate to make assumptions. Please advise.

Milk kefir grains work quite well with coconut milk. The only caveat is that they do need to be allowed to sit in cow or goat milk for 24 hours once every few batches to revitalize (also we ship kefir grains in a dehydrated shelf-stable state and they will need to be rehydrated and run through a few batches with cow/goat milk before they will be ready to work with coconut milk).

Almond milk is a bit more of an issue. There really isn't a kefir culture that works well with almond milk. We've had some customers use milk kefir and water kefir grains, but both ultimately yield inconsistent results. If you really want to culture almond milk, you can use 1/4 cup finished water kefir with 1 quart of almond milk.

Can the kefir grains be stored in the fridge for a short period of time if I want to take a break from making kefir??? Or what should I do with them if I want to take a short break?? I thought this info might be in the instructions, but couldn't find it! Thanks!

To take a short break you can leave the grains in a jar of milk in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. If you want a little longer break, just replace the milk in that jar and it can go another 3 weeks. You must put it back to work after this. For an extended break, we have instructions for drying the grains: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/how-to-take-a-break-from-making-kefir

I just got my kefir grains today and am very excited about using them! I have them reconstituting in a cup of milk, and just wanted to clarify the instructions of putting them in a "partially sealed container". Can I do the coffee filter with rubber band??? Or does it actually need to be a 'lid' that is loosely tightened???

I have had Kefir for years. I ruined my grains (and my yogurts) and am looking for new. Are there different varieties? The two (free) replacements so far clot the fat and separate the whey. The smell is not good, although the grains look OK. My old batch (1 Tbs) would firm a quart of milk in 24 hours and smell warm(?) good and tart. Should it all act like this? What does yours do?

If you're having the same problem with a couple different batches of grains, I would suspect some other problem. Separation of the curds and whey is usually an indication of over-culturing: either too long, or too warm. If you'd like to send an email to us (use the Contact Us form), we can help you troubleshoot.

I am new to almost everything that is natural/whole food eating, a baby of about a year if you will. We are trying to eat gluten, casein, and soy free. I have been reading about the milk kefir and would like to try something like this, as almost everything with the probiotic is dairy. Can you tell me if there is any milk ingredients used in the process of the grains before we get them, or is just what we use to feed them? Sorry if the question sounds silly.

Our milk kefir grains are grown in organic whole milk, and while you can culture alternative milks with them, they do need to be revitalized regularly in dairy milk since lactose is what they eat. If you are trying to stay away from milk products, you might want to try water kefir, which is completely dairy-free, and also contains a variety of probiotic strains.

Hi. Just wondering, if I were to buy an extra milk kefir and an extra water kefir, how long will they store on the shelf before needing to be opened and rehydrated (I am basically asking what is the shelf life or is there one...can it be stored and/or stored on a shelf for later use if I buy extra?)

Thank you, Traci

Unopened, these grains are shelf-stable for at least a year at room temperature; longer in the refrigerator.

It's not so much that they would go bad, but they would starve if they don't get fresh milk (for milk grains) or sugar (for water grains). Of course, starving is not healthy, so it's best to regularly culture milk using your grains. If you want to take a break from making kefir, you can find instructions here: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/how-to-take-a-break-from-making-kefir

Can heavy whipping cream be cultured with kefir grains? If so, would heavy whipping cream be sufficient to revitalize the grains when used with coconut milk?

Heavy whipping cream will not work well with milk kefir grains. The grains require lactose to survive and reproduce, and there is very little lactose in heavy cream. You could try half-and-half, or even just adding some cream to the milk.

For the same reason, you should use regular milk (whole milk is fine) to revive the grains every other batch when you are culturing coconut milk.

Can kefir be made with powdered milk? If so how does this affect quality?

Well, you could try it... There's not much information around on whether this would work, or how well. One concern is that powdered milk is highly processed, and is usually very low in fat, so it might not produce a suitably thick result. On the other hand, it does contain lactose, so it would provide sufficient food for the grains.

Customer Reviews

Started the grains per instructions with Raw Milk. They were active right after the start period and have worked well for the last month. They are growing slowly and the kefir tastes great--I do a primary for 24 hours and a secondary for an additional 24 hours. I make just under 1 quart a day. Fortunately have 2 raw milk sources within a few miles.

I am a happy customer! The Milk Kefir Grains worked perfectly. The instructions included were so helpful. I had no problems starting my kefir, and it has been going strong for several weeks now. All of my questions were answered well by the online resources here on the Cultures For Health site. This was my first home fermentation project, and I would definitely order another starter from Cultures For Health if I decide to take on another. Thanks for making an awesome product, and maintaining a super helpful website.

Ended up wasting at least a gallon or more of expensive organic milk refreshing the grains every day for almost two weeks before I just gave up and dumped them in the trash.

Such a small amount of grains and they never did smell right, smelled more like bread yeast than kefir.

I had good luck with the dehydrated powder and with the water kefir, don't think I'll waste more money trying these again.

CFH Note: Most kefir issues can be easily resolved with minor modifications to the kefir making process. It is very important that you contact Customer Support for help if you are experiencing problems.

I bought my grains from a local health food store. It took a while and a few trials and errors to get consistent results, but the customer service reps were very helpful. I have been getting consistent results now for several months, and am very pleased with the end product. It's thick (even with skim milk) and pleasantly sour and yogurty. It takes five minutes each morning to give the little kefir-dudes some fresh milk, and they just do their thing. I'll be interested to see what happens in the hot and humid summer months.

I was very challenged using these grains to make milk kefir. I followed the instructions to dehydrate the grains and make kefir. I used low pasteurized/non-homogenized milk. My process with the grains kept changing the milk into curds and whey. I was unable to recognize/see the grains in the finished product. I contacted Customer Support and the representative worked with me for almost a week to resolve these problems. No more curds and whey. Only great tasting milk kefir! Thank you CFH Customer Support.

Hint: don't even dare to rinse your grains in tap water. That's how I killed my first batch. I was dumb and thought I knew better. You don't need to rinse them at all unless you're taking some out to dry and save as a back up. Anyway, this is my second attempt to make kefir. These are fantastic quality grains and I definitely recommend them to anyone who wants to help themselves be healthier.

It'd been about a year since my last kefir venture, and I don't know why I ever stopped!?! The fresh, sour-ish (my preference), complex flavor that awaits on my counter every day is superb!!! The grains became active after 3 days, and are in full force. It really is so easy to get fresh kefir every day with these grains. Currently, I'm fermenting goat's milk, and I'll be switching to coconut milk for a change of pace. Highly highly recommend for quality and ease. Thanks Cultures for Health!!

I have been having problems with my grains from the start. They took 15 days to activate. The quality of my kefir is not good it doesn't thicken as it should. In fact the only way I can get it to thicken at all is to add some kefir to it. Have tried everything that customer support has recommended. Now what?

Response from CFH: Our support staff is always happy to help. If you are still having trouble with your culture, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Having never had kefir before, buying the grains was an adventure! At first I had major issues (several batches of spoiled milk), but then I consulted with a customer service rep and she informed me that my ultra-pasteurized milk (though organic) was probably the issue. I started using non-organic pasteurized and it worked! Overall, it took about 2 weeks to start regularly producing a quart of kefir. Now, my grains produce a quart usually in less than 12 hours at room temp (60-65 degrees). I was surprised at how good the kefir actually tasted (very much like yogurt), and am looking forward to using it in diverse recipes!

I've had kefir grains in the past, and even though sometimes a few of them got stringy (during warm weather), most of them looked nice and fluffy. These current kefir grains just look like curdled milk. They do culture the milk at least.

Please contact customer support for troubleshooting before disposing of cultures.

I am really delighted with my purchase of your Milk Kefir Grains. They took about a week to really get started but they've been going great guns ever since. I'm now having fun experimenting with secondary fermentation and have found your Kefir ebook an invaluable resource. I hugely recommend this product. Thank you!

The instructions were easy-to-follow and I was making batches of kefir in no time. The information on making raw milk kefir were helpful, but wasn't going well for me. I contacted Customer Support via chat and she gave me some great tips to help my raw milk kefir efforts more successful. Great job!

This has been a great product. Cultures for Health does a great job of making the process super simple for first timers. The packaging instructions are very easy to follow and well presented. They also have great video support.

I decided to make water kefir on a whim and see how my family would like it. The love it!! After the kefir grains have fermented we transfer the water into another bottle with some organic lemon concentrate an let it sit out for another day or two. The result is a delicious, slightly effervescent lemonade. It's not funky tasting at all. It will definitely be the beverage of choice on hot summer days.

Unless this was a packaging error, there were fewer than 1/4 teaspoon of grains. I've been struggling making one cup of kefir at a time. If the pictures are any indication of the package quantity, then I think the pictures were quite misleading (enlarged?) compared to what I actually received. These little grains work alright, I make a cup every day. It's just not practical to fuss with a one cup batch. And for that price I really expected enough to culture 3 to 4 cups of milk as the directions state. Given 72 hours this little bit does culture 3 cups. I am using my yogurt maker and it works quite well for this. Just want to do more at a time and the little grains don't multiply very fast. I tried to make like the instructions say with 3 cups of milk but it took too long, and the end product wasn't very creamy like it is when I make 1 cup at a time. Otherwise the product shipped quickly and makes great kefir.

Response from CFH: Please contact customer support so we can troubleshoot, as we're happy to help. *** Milk kefir grains cultured in a yogurt maker will kill the grains. Their range is only 68-85ºF. ***

(Posted on 4/5/2015)

Attention!

Starter cultures, rennet for cheese making and cultured vegetables, juices and condiments are sensitive to excessive heat. Once your order has shipped, an e-mail with tracking information will be sent to you. We encourage you to use the tracking information to anticipate the arrival of your items so they can be removed from the mail box and stored in the refrigerator promptly.

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